CO2 Emissions Per Capita by Country 2024: Full Rankings & 54-Year Trends

Key takeaways

Palau leads 2024 at 82.8 t CO2e per capita, followed by Qatar at 47.3 and Bahrain at 23.9.
4 of 1970's top ten countries remain in the top ten in 2024: Palau, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates.
Among 2024's top ten, Trinidad and Tobago recorded the largest climb, rising from 40th in 1970 to 6th in 2024.
The global median CO2 emissions per capita rose from 1.0 t CO2e in 1970 to 3.0 t CO2e in 2024.
203 countries reported values in 1970, against 203 in 2024.

4 of 1970's top ten countries still rank in the top ten

Rank position, 1970 → 2024 · top 12 countries of 2024 · 1970 axis breaks below rank 20

Per-capita emissions produce a different ranking from total output or total population. Palau leads here but ranks 58th in <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">GDP per capita</a>; Qatar ranks 2nd in emissions but 11th in income. The top ten is dominated by fossil-fuel-exporting states and small territories where energy-intensive industry operates at a scale disproportionate to the resident <a href="/data/population-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">population</a>.

4 of 1970's top ten remain in 2024's top ten: Palau, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates. The global median rose from 1.0 t CO2e in 1970 to 3.0 t CO2e in 2024, reflecting increased fossil-fuel consumption across middle-income countries even as some high-income economies reduced per-capita output.

In the top ten both years Climbed 10+ places All other countries Rankings computed among all countries with data for each year

Trinidad and Tobago rose from 40th in 1970 to 6th in 2024

Trinidad and Tobago ranked 40th in per-capita emissions in 1970 and 6th in 2024. Several of the top-ten emitters per person also appear high in both <a href="/data/life-expectancy-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">life expectancy</a> and <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">GDP per capita</a>: Kuwait, for instance, ranks 4th on all three measures.

Inside the current top 20, the largest gain since 2000 belongs to Greenland, which moved from 195th in 2000 to 20th at 10.5 t CO2e per capita.

Full rankings: CO2 emissions per capita by country, 2024

Trajectory shows each country's annual series indexed to its own 1970–2024 range

203 economies Arrows show rank change since 2014.

Rank▲	Country⇅	CO2 Emissions Per Capita by Country, 2024⇅
1	Palau PLW	82.8
2	Qatar QAT	47.3
3 ▲1	Bahrain BHR	23.9
4 ▲1	Kuwait KWT	23.7
5 ▲3	Brunei Darussalam BRN	20.2
6 ▼3	Trinidad and Tobago TTO	19.6
7 ▲2	Oman OMN	18.7
8 ▼1	Saudi Arabia SAU	18.5
9 ▼3	United Arab Emirates ARE	18.3
10 ▲2	New Caledonia NCL	17.1
11 ▲5	Gibraltar GIB	16.1
12 ▲1	Australia AUS	14.1
13 ▲2	Canada CAN	14.0
14 ▲5	Russian Federation RUS	14.0
15 ▼1	United States USA	13.6
16 ▲1	Kazakhstan KAZ	12.6
17 ▲1	Korea, Rep. KOR	11.4
18 ▲3	Turkmenistan TKM	10.9
19 ▼9	Luxembourg LUX	10.6
20 ▲13	Greenland GRL	10.5
21 ▲4	Singapore SGP	9.8
22 ▲15	China CHN	9.3
23 ▲16	Iran, Islamic Rep. IRN	9.1
24 ▲3	Libya LBY	8.7
25 ▼5	Iceland ISL	8.5
26 ▲8	Malaysia MYS	8.3
27 ▲19	Mongolia MNG	7.8
28 ▼4	Japan JPN	7.8
29 ▼18	Estonia EST	7.8
30 ▲6	Poland POL	7.6
31 ▲1	Belgium BEL	7.3
32 ▼9	Seychelles SYC	7.2
33 ▼4	Norway NOR	7.2
34 ▼12	Czechia CZE	7.1
35 ▼9	Germany DEU	6.9
36 ▼5	South Africa ZAF	6.9
37 ▼9	Netherlands NLD	6.6
38 ▲15	Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH	6.4
39 ▲2	Austria AUT	6.3
40 ▲2	Slovenia SVN	6.3
41 ▼1	Ireland IRL	6.0
42 ▼4	New Zealand NZL	6.0
43	Belarus BLR	5.9
44 ▼9	Israel ISR	5.8
45 ▼15	Finland FIN	5.5
46 ▲5	Slovak Republic SVK	5.5
47 ▲8	Cyprus CYP	5.4
48 ▲13	Turkiye TUR	5.4
49 ▼5	Bulgaria BGR	5.3
50 ▲31	Iraq IRQ	5.2
51 ▲21	Aruba ABW	5.1
52 ▲2	Italy ITA	5.1
53 ▼5	Greece GRC	5.0
54 ▲25	Cayman Islands CYM	5.0
55 ▲49	Turks and Caicos Islands TCA	4.9
56 ▲15	Croatia HRV	4.8
57 ▲30	Puerto Rico (US) PRI	4.8
58 ▼11	Hong Kong SAR, China HKG	4.6
59 ▲36	Guyana GUY	4.6
60 ▼4	Spain ESP	4.5
61 ▲4	Lithuania LTU	4.5
62 ▲1	Hungary HUN	4.5
63 ▼14	Denmark DNK	4.3
64 ▲45	Viet Nam VNM	4.3
65 ▼20	United Kingdom GBR	4.2
66 ▲4	Bermuda BMU	4.1
67 ▲15	Uzbekistan UZB	4.1
68 ▼4	Suriname SUR	4.1
69 ▼3	Argentina ARG	4.0
70 ▼10	France FRA	4.0
71 ▼2	North Macedonia MKD	4.0
72 ▲4	Algeria DZA	4.0
73 ▲5	Thailand THA	4.0
74 ▼6	Chile CHL	3.9
75 ▲8	Azerbaijan AZE	3.8
76 ▲14	Antigua and Barbuda ATG	3.8
77 ▼18	Switzerland CHE	3.7
78 ▼3	Romania ROU	3.7
79 ▲1	Latvia LVA	3.6
80 ▼6	Mexico MEX	3.6
81 ▲10	Bahamas, The BHS	3.6
82 ▼15	Sweden SWE	3.6
83 ▼25	Maldives MDV	3.6
84 ▲5	Mauritius MUS	3.5
85 ▲14	Georgia GEO	3.5
86 ▼2	French Polynesia PYF	3.5
87 ▲6	Moldova MDA	3.4
88 ▼38	Venezuela, RB VEN	3.4
89 ▲61	Lao PDR LAO	3.4
90 ▼28	Portugal PRT	3.3
91 ▼34	Malta MLT	3.2
92 ▼40	Ukraine UKR	3.1
93 ▲13	Dominican Republic DOM	3.0
94 ▲13	St. Kitts and Nevis KNA	2.9
95 ▲15	Indonesia IDN	2.9
96 ▲4	Jamaica JAM	2.8
97 ▼3	Panama PAN	2.7
98 ▼12	Botswana BWA	2.7
99 ▼2	Ecuador ECU	2.6
100 ▼2	Tunisia TUN	2.6
101 ▲7	Uruguay URY	2.6
102 ▼29	Equatorial Guinea GNQ	2.6
103 ▼18	Macao SAR, China MAC	2.5
104 ▼3	Barbados BRB	2.5
105 ▼3	Egypt, Arab Rep. EGY	2.5
106 ▲15	Korea, Dem. People's Rep. PRK	2.5
107 ▲4	Armenia ARM	2.5
108 ▼3	British Virgin Islands VGB	2.3
109 ▼13	Brazil BRA	2.3
110 ▲4	Bolivia BOL	2.3
111 ▲6	India IND	2.2
112 ▼20	Jordan JOR	2.1
113 ▼25	Gabon GAB	2.0
114 ▲1	Peru PER	2.0
115 ▲7	Bhutan BTN	2.0
116 ▼13	Cuba CUB	1.9
117 ▼40	Lebanon LBN	1.9
118 ▼2	Morocco MAR	1.8
119 ▼6	Colombia COL	1.8
120 ▼8	Albania ALB	1.8
121 ▲11	St. Lucia LCA	1.7
122 ▼3	Costa Rica CRI	1.6
123 ▲4	Tonga TON	1.6
124 ▼6	Fiji FJI	1.6
125	Samoa WSM	1.6
126 ▲3	El Salvador SLV	1.5
127 ▲6	Philippines PHL	1.5
128 ▲7	Grenada GRD	1.5
129 ▼9	Kyrgyz Republic KGZ	1.5
130 ▲1	Congo, Rep. COG	1.3
131 ▲12	St. Vincent and the Grenadines VCT	1.3
132 ▼8	Cabo Verde CPV	1.3
133 ▼10	Syrian Arab Republic SYR	1.3
134 ▲2	Dominica DMA	1.3
135 ▼9	Namibia NAM	1.2
136 ▼2	Paraguay PRY	1.2
137 ▼7	Honduras HND	1.1
138	Guatemala GTM	1.1
139 ▲23	Cambodia KHM	1.1
140 ▲2	Sri Lanka LKA	1.1
141 ▲5	Mauritania MRT	1.0
142 ▲13	Belize BLZ	0.9
143 ▲13	Tajikistan TJK	0.9
144 ▼3	Eswatini SWZ	0.9
145 ▲2	Vanuatu VUT	0.9
146 ▼2	Nicaragua NIC	0.8
147 ▼2	Pakistan PAK	0.8
148 ▼9	Zimbabwe ZWE	0.8
149 ▲5	Senegal SEN	0.8
150 ▼10	Djibouti DJI	0.8
151 ▼23	Angola AGO	0.7
152 ▲8	Bangladesh BGD	0.7
153 ▲4	Ghana GHA	0.7
154 ▼6	Sao Tome and Principe STP	0.6
155 ▲3	Kiribati KIR	0.6
156 ▲7	Cote d'Ivoire CIV	0.6
157 ▲8	Myanmar MMR	0.6
158 ▼9	Nigeria NGA	0.6
159 ▲7	Zambia ZMB	0.5
160 ▲11	Nepal NPL	0.5
161 ▼10	Papua New Guinea PNG	0.5
162 ▲16	Comoros COM	0.5
163 ▼11	Timor-Leste TLS	0.5
164 ▼5	Benin BEN	0.5
165 ▼4	Sudan SDN	0.4
166 ▲4	Lesotho LSO	0.4
167 ▼14	Solomon Islands SLB	0.4
168 ▼1	Kenya KEN	0.4
169 ▼5	Cameroon CMR	0.4
170 ▲9	Guinea GIN	0.4
171 ▲2	Togo TGO	0.3
172 ▲4	Tanzania TZA	0.3
173 ▲10	Mali MLI	0.3
174 ▼6	Haiti HTI	0.3
175	Mozambique MOZ	0.3
176 ▼2	Afghanistan AFG	0.3
177 ▲7	Burkina Faso BFA	0.3
178 ▼41	Yemen, Rep. YEM	0.3
179 ▼10	Malawi MWI	0.2
180 ▲1	Eritrea ERI	0.2
181 ▼4	Gambia, The GMB	0.2
182	Sierra Leone SLE	0.2
183 ▲2	Uganda UGA	0.2
184 ▲6	Rwanda RWA	0.2
185 ▼5	Guinea-Bissau GNB	0.2
186 ▼14	Liberia LBR	0.2
187	Ethiopia ETH	0.1
188 ▼2	Madagascar MDG	0.1
189	Chad TCD	0.1
190 ▼2	Niger NER	0.1
191 ▲3	Burundi BDI	0.1
192 ▲3	Central African Republic CAF	0.1
193 ▼1	Congo, Dem. Rep. COD	0.1
194 ▼3	Somalia, Fed. Rep. SOM	0.0
195 ▼2	Faroe Islands FRO	0.0
196	Marshall Islands MHL	0.0
197	Northern Mariana Islands MNP	0.0
198	American Samoa ASM	0.0
199	Virgin Islands (U.S.) VIR	0.0
200 ▲1	Guam GUM	0.0
201 ▼1	Micronesia, Fed. Sts. FSM	0.0
202	Naoero NRU	0.0
202	Tuvalu TUV	0.0

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest CO2 emissions per capita in 2024?

Palau leads at 82.8 t CO2e per capita, followed by Qatar at 47.3 and Bahrain at 23.9.

Which country climbed the emissions rankings most since 1970?

Among 2024's top ten, Trinidad and Tobago recorded the largest climb, rising from 40th in 1970 to 6th in 2024. The downloadable CSV includes the complete rank history for every country.

What is the global median CO2 emissions per capita?

The median across all 203 countries with reported data rose from 1.0 t CO2e in 1970 to 3.0 t CO2e in 2024.

What does this indicator measure?

This indicator measures carbon dioxide emissions per person per year in tonnes of CO2 equivalent, excluding emissions from land use, land use change, and forestry. It captures fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes, and waste but not carbon sinks or deforestation.

How often is this data updated?

The World Bank publishes updated emissions estimates annually. This page is rebuilt from the latest release, retrieved July 2026.

Methodology & Fair Use

Data runs to 2024, the most recent year published by World Bank World Development Indicators.

Figures are CO2 emissions per capita in tonnes of CO2 equivalent excluding LULUCF, as published in the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5), retrieved July 2026. Rankings are computed among all countries with reported data for each year; countries with no reported value in a given year are excluded from that year's ranking. Trajectory sparklines index each country's series to its own 1970–2024 range and are not comparable in level across rows.

This dataset is published by Ranking Atlas and may be cited or reproduced with attribution and a link to this page.

Data licence. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Retrieved July 2026.

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CO2 Emissions Per Capita by Country, 1970–2024

Key takeaways

4 of 1970's top ten countries still rank in the top ten

Trinidad and Tobago rose from 40th in 1970 to 6th in 2024

Full rankings: CO2 emissions per capita by country, 2024

Frequently asked questions

Methodology & Fair Use

Cite this page

Related datasets

GDP Per Capita by Country, 1960–2025

Life Expectancy by Country, 1960–2024

Population by Country, 1960–2025